Take-aways from The Writers Toolkit 2013

Saturday marked my third outing to the Writers Toolkit conference organised by the trusty team at Writing West Midlands. If you’re a writer (emerging or established) then this is the conference for you. I attended three of out sixteen available sessions and also spoke on one of the panels myself. I wish I could have gone to every session, but here’s a quick report on the ones I picked.

Opening Key Note address
Author Kate Pullinger gave a dynamic key note address with a focus on digital publishing and the idea of books as spreadable media – an area which traditional publishers have been slow to take up. Her digital novel, ‘Inanimate Alice’, found an audience that no-one had really anticipated (with teachers) and students had even been motivated to create their own episode of the Alice story. Kate gave ISBN stats from Bowker (Neilsen) showing the exponential increase in self-publishing. “Soon it’ll look weird NOT to self-publish,” she said. She predicts a move towards “webby” books; eBooks are probably a transitional technology. She may be right.

Really enjoyable day at #writerstoolkit2013 So much diversity of practice. A general theme of author entrepreneurship seems to be emerging.

Session 1. Writers Working Overseas with Sinead Russell, Will Buckingham and Bohdan Piasecki (chaired by Abigail Campbell)Sinead: writers working overseas need to be aware of their audience; cultural sensitivity is a prerequisite. The British Council are keen to help writers working in partnerships. The Artists International Development Fund is a pot of money worth £1k-5k and can be used for funding projects.Will: don’t forget the Arts Council does still fund writers! Will revels in the idea of ‘elsewhere’ and relishes working and researching abroad. Learn a bit of the language of the host country before you go.Bohdan: you don’t necessarily need funding to started with work overseas – it’s cheaper to fly to Italy than Plymouth! Be proactive, talk to partners and set up gigs yourself. Have a website to showcase your work (e.g. videos are useful, especially if you’re a performer). It’s worth getting together with other writers and acting as a collective.

Session 2. Alternative Models of Publishing with Ian Billings, Me and Greg Klerkx (chaired by Ben Pearson)
It was a real pleasure to be on the panel ‘Alternative Models of Publishing’ where, interestingly, all three of us had been published by traditional publishers. Ian Billings talked about how he got rights back to his children’s book series and Greg Klerkx spoke eloquently about why he had chosen to self-publish. I used my 5-10 minute opening slot to talk about a healthy/helpful mindset if you’re going to self-publish. Chris Fewings was tweeting throughout so with his kind permission I’ve embedded some of his tweets about our panel discussion (see end of post).

LUNCH (a delicious, all-veggie affair!)

Session 3. Managing a Writing Career with Jo Bell, David Edgar and William Gallagher (chaired by Philip Monks)Jo: does a “broad range of activities with poetry at the centre”. Make opportunities for yourself: invent a project; approach people; do the odd bit of work for free (but not too much). Remember, rejection isn’t personal. Seek out other people as mentors. Be as helpful as you can. And follow her on Twitter and Facebook.David: was lucky to start writing plays when there were more opportunities, but although it may be harder these days, you CAN build a portfolio career. Always write two plays. Invariably, the first play will demonstrate you can write but the second is the one that gets staged. Be entrepreneurial. Also, take time out for renewal and recharging (professional development). And join the Writers’ Guild.William: don’t be bitter or stroppy when a good gig comes to an end. Often you may end up working for the same company again if you’ve not soured the situation. Work hard. Be nice.

Session 4. Writing for Radio with Nick Walker, James Cook, Tim Stimpson (chaired by Gregory Leadbetter)James: Radio 4’s 45-minute afternoon drama remains the slot most suitable for new-to-radio writers. The BBC commissions many hours in this slot so it’s a good bet. The big opening (the hook) is very important. Think journalism, i.e. What’s the headline? Get the inciting incident down on the very first page. [Jeremy Howe, Commissioning Editor for drama on Radio 4, thinks STORY should be at the heart of all pitches. Ask yourself: what’s the story burning a hole in your pocket?] Be simple and elegant: think 2 or 3 people in a situation that will change their lives. Sometimes you’ll have to do a sample script – 10 pages is usually sufficient.Tim: a scriptwriter for The Archers and also a Writers Guild rep. His advice? Respect the medium of radio; exploit every opportunity for creating a soundscape; give characters lots of props. Don’t go for anniversaries when trying to pitch a story – chances are they’ve already been thought of.Nick: try to think like a radio commissioner. Build a relationship with a producer. How? By being dynamic. Put on a show (for example) and invite people to come and see it. Find new ways to get work “out there” – use podcasts. Also, remember the BBC commissioning cycle is done a long time in advance so you can’t predict what’s going to be ‘in’ two years from now.

Closing Key Note address
Author Stephen May ended the day with a highly entertaining account of the highs and lows of being a traditionally published writer.

Huge thanks to Jonathan Davidson, Abigail Campbell, Joanna Penn and Sian Buckley and all the volunteers for a truly terrific day. I found it both energising and validating. What a golden time it is to be a writer.

Fiona Joseph: phoned a few Waterstones branches – local relevance of book helped – it got stocked. #writerstoolkit2013#fb